My current knitting project is far less exciting than the one I couldn't talk about. I'm just knitting toes. Lots and lots of toes. The above are Bacon and Ember, and can be bought here. There's a lot more colors, and therefore a lot more toes to be made. We'll be sending the toes out as samples for stores, in the hopes of increasing a wholesale market.

In addition to trying to wholesale the yarns, we're also trying a brick and mortar store, and I hope we aren't stretching our necks out too far. Mind, I only work on the periphery of this business, but I am hoping the endeavors succeed. I'll likely be driving the hour plus twice a week or so to teach classes and help out. I am hoping there is more stuff I can do from home to help. We shall see. I hope to finish people's knitting (weave in ends, sew seams, sew on buttons), or knit commission pieces, if that's possible.

But meanwhile... well, there's always more toes. I've already cast on Bruised Ego.  ¶ 3:06 PM

  I don't care if you don't like sheep.

Watch This.  ¶ 8:56 PM

  Dear Dr. Marion Thorpe, Jr.:

No, I'm not the conservative republican you think I am with your mailing list.

You're the first person to send me something begging money for a conservative cause though - and frankly, I'm rather disgusted. I feel dirty for somehow getting on that list, because I am neither conservative or Republican. I've been a registered Democrat for the past 22 years, and I'm damn proud of it. Although, honesty compels me to admit Democrats ain't all rainbows and unicorns- their shit stinks just as much as the Republican shit.

When I got your letter, I was angered for more than the apparently common mistake that I am conservative - your letter proclaimed you were a black Republican running for U.S. Senate, and that you were from Florida. I had flashbacks of Hillary Clinton all over again. You see, we have a senate election cycle *currently under way* in my state of New York, and I assumed you were being a total asshole carpetbagger moving from Florida to take on the current contenders that I know about - Misters Tedisco and Murphy. I can't stand a carpetbagger - I want my governmental representatives to be from the state of New York so they have more idea of what our problems are, and not focused on using their career as a stepping stone for greater things, and yes, Hillary, I will never forgive you for entering my state with your goals. Dr. Thorpe, I thought you were coming to my state. Your letter doesn't make it clear for which state's seat you are running for Congress, and you let me assume it was New York. I feel this is very disingenuous and not perfectly ethical. If I didn't have the brains to figure this out when I looked your name up on the web, I probably would have fallen for it. I find this despicable.

Worse, your letter seems to be a bid to vote for you and donate to your campaign just because you're black. If I didn't want to vote for Hillary just because she has ovaries, I certainly am not going to donate to your campaign just because your skin is slightly heavier in the pigment department. I don't care. That's NOT why I feel moved to vote for candidates. I want to know where you stand on the issues. I'm sure there are other candidates in the primary with whom you will have to contend, and these issues will need to be addressed.

I now believe I will keep an eye on your campaign in the future, and possibly I may be moved to mobilize in favor of your opponents. You've certainly done the absolute opposite of impressing me.  ¶ 4:49 PM

  You want to put someone on notice?

I certainly do.

  ¶ 4:13 PM

  I haven't been posting, in part because the current project is something I'm not allowed to talk about. And pretty soon, I'll have more projects I can't talk about. This is personally very exciting stuff but makes for very dull copy on this blog. I'm knitting _____ onna deadline out of _______'s homespun. Do you know how hard it is to knit, when with every stitch your brain is screaming "OMG! You're knitting with ____ F*cking ____'s homespun! Look, this is navajo plied! Better make that stitch a little tighter so the "join" isn't on the center of the stitch.... but it's _____'s homespun! And this one is two ply, and that one is three ply, and omg I get to work with _____'s homespun!" It's a huge fangirl moment, that I really can't share. There's also the OMG She Knows I'm Alive, and the whole She called my house and knows where I live moments, but that's never as impressive as actually handling the homespun, yanno? Even more fun - I may get to do it again some time! So if you hear muffled excited screaming, it's probably me over here in my mind.

I've also been knitting toes for my dyer friend - if I knit so many toes, I get a free skein of yarn. She will also happily substitute fiber or different weights of yarn. So things are looking very, very good for my new year's resolution of a fiber diet until we aren't in debt.

  ¶ 12:06 PM

  This is a little over 9 minutes and in Japanese, but it's really cool. The Japanese have odd ideas of game shows -here's a bit to determine which feral cat can lift and carry the heaviest fish.

Clicky for video  ¶ 3:41 PM

  I haz a happy. I found Josh's blog.

I've just been using this as an icon for several things, and I like to keep track of Josh and his story.
  ¶ 8:10 PM